Surgical knife safety handle

Abstract

The present device and method includes a handle, a blade connected to the handle, and a guard slidably mounted partially within the handle for sliding movement between a retracted position in which the blade is exposed for use, and an extended position for covering the sharp cutting edge of the blade. In the retracted position, an exposed guard radius is provided at the distal end of the handle to allow improved handle control and blade orientation. The exposed guard radius is positioned to allow the user to firmly grip a large distal handle portion which is molded as a single piece with the blade holder, preventing unwanted blade or handle movement due to guard mechanism tolerances. A leaf spring and detent is provided to fix the guard in the extended and retracted position, and provide slight resistance during movement between each position. Additionally, an antitravel mechanism is incorporated in the guard to prevent accidental retraction from the fully extended position.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a system and method for a surgical knife safety handle, for both ophthalmic and non-ophthalmic applications, having a movable guard that can be retracted to expose the blade when in use, and that can be extended to cover the blade when not in use, and including a pushback prevention mechanism to ensure the blade is covered until manually exposed.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]In various surgical procedures, the physician typically has to make an incision in the patient in order to remove unwanted tissue, repair damaged tissue, or implant a device to improve the patient's well being. In certain cases, all three of these activities, or a combination thereof, must be done in a single procedure. For example, in cataract surgery, the physician removes the natural lens that has been clouded by a cataract from the patient's eye and replaces it with an artificial lens that will improve the patient's eyesight. In order to perform...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a device and method that may be used to shield and protect a sharp blade, such as a scalpel, and minimize the chances of cuts or nicks during handling or disposal.

[0013]It is another object of this invention to provide a device and method that is easy to use and that can be operated by one hand of the user.

[0014]It is another object of the invention to provide a device and method that will not allow the shield to be accidentally displaced when fully extended and expose the blade.

[0015]It is another object of this invention to provide a device and method which maintains an uninterrupted handle surface contour during use, which allows the user better control and orientation of the device.

[0016]These and other objects are substantially achieved by providing a device and method for a handle, a blade connected to the handle, and a guard slidably mounted partially within the handle for sliding movement between a retracted position in which the blade is exposed for use, and an extended position for covering the sharp cutting edge of the blade. In the retracted position, an exposed guard radius is provided at the distal end of the handle to allow improved handle control and blade orientation. The exposed guard radius however, is positioned to allow the user to firmly grip a large distal handle portion which is molded as a single piece with the blade holder, preventing unwanted blade or handle movement due to guard mechanism tolerances.

Problems solved by technology

Unfortunately, accidental cuts of hospital personnel do occur for a variety of reasons.

For example, because the physician and assistant are concentrating on the patient and the procedure being performed on the patient, they may not pay close attention to the scalpels.

The assistant may put the used scalpels in an inappropriate location or, even if the used scalpels are placed on the proper tray, the blade may be exposed to the operating suite personnel.

In these situations, the operating suite personnel may inadvertently come into contact with the blade as they move around the patient during the procedure and be cut or nicked by the exposed blade.

Other hospital personnel may also come into contact with such blades and may also be cut or nicked.

However, during cleanup of the operating suite, the used blades may be exposed prior to their placement in the appropriate sharps container.

If hospital personnel are not paying close attention to their activities or, if the exposed blades are hidden from view because they are buried in a pile of other devices or hospital linen, these hospital personnel may come into contact with the sharp cutting surface of the blade and be cut or nicked.

Cuts and nicks from blades are uncomfortable and distracting at best.

In addition, such cuts and nicks from used blades may result in blood or body fluid exposure which can result in the spread of infectious diseases between the patient and hospital personnel.

Unfortunately, these designs are deficient because they tend to be cumbersome, difficult to use, may cause unwanted shielding or exposure of the blade prior to the need for such shielding or exposure.

Also, such devices may require considerable attention by the user to shield or expose the blade.

Additionally, the shield may distort the handle outline when retracted, making the handle difficult to hold or control.

Such concerns also apply in cases in which the user is required to hold the retracted shield as a grip, allowing any movement between shield and handle to possibly result in unwanted movement of the blade.

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